Parkland County has agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the Village of Wabamun for the construction of their new fire department.

The agreement was presented to County council during their committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday morning and accepted as information.

Under the MOU, the new fire hall would be built where the old arena in Wabamun currently stands. The County will purchase the land for $10 but be responsible for all demolition costs. If passed by both parties, demolition will take place this summer and construction will begin in 2020. Demolition of the arena and tennis courts could cost as much as $400,000 with a construction window of 18 months.

“At the next council meeting, administration will be requesting council approve demolition funds from County’s restricted surplus,” said County chief administrative officer Mike Heck.

The Village will be responsible for providing environmental reports, servicing reports, soil conditions and traffic impact information.

Wabamun ceased operation of the arena at 4820 52 Ave. in 2017 following the dissolution of Wabamun Minor Hockey and a site assessment of the facility by Stantech Engineering in 2016. The report showed $1.4 million in repairs and upgrades were needed over the next 10 years if it was to remain open. They have since been searching to repurpose the land.

The West Central Fire Station will serve the fire protection needs of both municipalities and costs will be shared. It will replace the current fire station in Wabamun currently owned by Parkland County and operating under a joint fire services agreement between the two municipalities.

The County also has fire stations in Acheson Industrial Park, Parkland Village, Seba Beach and Tomahawk.